Medico Legal Issues in

Private Hospitals
What Is a Medicolegal
Case?
Any Medical case that may come before
the court of law at a later date.
Routinely
-Suicide
-Accidents-
RTA,Railway,Industrial,Fall,Electrocution
-Homicide,Assault
-Poisoning
-Brought Dead or Died on arrival
-Sexual Offences
 Any other case when a police
complaint is made at a later date
Admitted in the hospital as non MLC,
but patient or relative(s) or police
allege foul play at a later date.
Eg:Coma-CMO admits as non MLC;later
consultants after investigations
diagnose as traumatic head injury
 Exceptions to informing police:
Register as MLC but need not inform the

police.
1.Atempted suicide-patient
recovering,homicide not suspected
2.Patient gives a statement with signature
and thumb impession that there is no
complaint against anybody-self fall in
the house,fall due to skidding of vehicle.
 If the patients condition worsens or
the patient dies,inform the police.
Can a doctor, after
registering the case as MLC
and informing the police,
cancel the MLC and make it a
Nil MLC?
 After admitting the case as MLC, by CMO,
Consultant after detailed examinations
and investigations, diagnoses as natural
disease
Coma-CMO suspects head injury or
poisoning-MLC
Consultant diagnoses coma as being
due to meningitis, cerebrovascular
accident due to HTN
Inform the Police that it is a natural
disease and Nil ML
Medico legal Duties in the
Casualty
1.Treatment first as a case of emergency
2.Intimation to police-as discussed
3.Entering the details in the
medicolegal/accident register with
signature or thumb impression of the
patient.
4.Collection of materials for
investigation-blood,urine,stomach
wash,etc
Medicolegal Duties In The
Wards
1.Collecting materials for investigation-
blood,urine samples,etc.
2.Assisting the police in taking statements
from patients in medicolegal cases-pt should
be in fit enough condition to give statement.
3.If the patients condition worsens or patient is
dying,make arrangements to take dying
declaration-certifying compos mentis status
of the patient to give declaration.
4.If the patient dies,inform the police.
Do not issue death certificate.
police will conduct inquest,arrange
for postmoterm and the doctor
conducting the P.M. will issue the
death certificate
5.If the patient is cured and to be
discharged inform the police
Maintainence of Records in
Medicolegal
Cases
Write in detail
Conduct all necessary investigations and
write the reports in the case sheets.Keep
the reports along with the case sheets.
Keep the x-rays,CT scans,MRI,etc along
with the case sheets. Do not hand
over to the patient-these may be
needed to be given to the police or court
at a later date.
Attending courts..
Criminal cases-
(attendance compulsary,no fees to
be charged.)
Ex:Wound certificates by
CMOs,consultants and other
treating doctors regarding
treatment given,operation
performed in criminal cases.
 Civil cases-
(dispute between two private parties)-
attendance not compulsary and can
charge doctors fees
Ex:compensation cases,insurance
cases,etc
Doctors are expert witnesses who are
usually called to give evidence in
magistrate and sessions courts.
 Called to attend the courts through
summons
(summons-document compelling the
attendance of a witness-doctor-in a court of
law on a particular date and time for the
purpose of giving evidence.It may require
you to bring all the records of the patient
with you.)
Unless you have very valid reasons you have
to obey the summons.